The Rise of a King
by Zipis1
Summary: After being pulled into the Middle Ages, the young prince of Zeal is forced to live among the Mystics, and to survive their many cruelties. However, such a life is not meant for a child, and Janus may lose his soul to his hatred.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Chrono Trigger, so stop calling me!!

Note: As the summary states, this story describes how Magus rose to power among the mystics. I don't know how long this story's going to be, there is just so much I can do with it. However, I will try not to drag it out so long that everyone hates it. For that matter, I'm not even sure if it will be long at all, though it should be a decent size. Alright, with that said, you may read my story.

"SCHALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" 

The young, blue-haired boy called out for his sister as a black hole began to open around his feet. However, before the Princess of Zeal or anyone else could help him, he was swallowed by it.

It felt as through someone had wrapped a hand around his insides and was now dragging him ruthlessly through a land of complete darkness. He closed his beautiful blue eyes, hoping that doing so would take his mind off of the darkness around him, which it did not. In fact, it seemed to make it worse.

Just as he began to think that the mysterious black hole had killed him, he fell face first onto something hard. 

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was touching ground again. This ignited a faint glimmer of hope in his heart, so he forced himself to get up despite the fact that every muscle in his body was on fire with pain. 

This was when he noticed that someone was yelling about something. As he rose to his feet, he saw that the origin of this mind numbing screech was coming from some hideous green blob. Every move it made, big or small, caused the mass of fat that clung to him to ripple. The mere sight of it made his stomach, which was already nearly to the point of making him keel over, clench tightly.

Once he managed to get his stomach problem under control, the young Prince of Zeal realized that the quivering green thing was commanding that some one grab the human before it got away. 

Curious to know who would listen to something so hideous, the small child looked around, and discovered that he had been completely surrounded by monsters, and they were closing in on him. 

Knowing that trying to run away would be useless, he didn't even try to move as a few of these monsters bound and gagged him. He was lifted up by one of the bigger ones, and thrown quite ruthlessly over it's shoulder. The band of monsters began to make their way down the mountain with him, and suddenly he realized just how serious his situation really was.

He didn't cry, despite the fact that this was the most terrifying thing that had ever happened to him, and the fact that crying was what kids his age did in situations such as this. No. God forbid that the Prince of Zeal cried. It would show weakness, and even at that age he looked down on those who were weak. So instead, he just stayed deadly still.

At one point, the strange group of travelers came to a stop in front of what appeared to be a cliff. 

"We're stopping here for the night! Going through this God-forsaken cave will take longer than usual with our young… guest… with us." The disgusting green blob shot a menacing glace at the boy currently draped over the other monster's shoulder.

At this, the creature that was carrying the poor child practically dropped him to the ground, adding more pain to his battered body, and stormed over to where the mass of green fat was sitting.

"Sir Ozzie…" 

_Ah, so it's name is Ozzie, then._ The blue-haired boy thought. _And he's important enough to be called 'Sir'_ _by the rest of them. _

"Why are we taking this HUMAN with us?" The monster who had "escorted" the child all the way here seemed quite angry. "It would be easier to kill it now and get home as soon as we can. I, for one, am not too pleased with the idea of staying a minute longer in a place where we could easily be ambushed by _his_ kind!" The beast shot the prince a glace that said all too clearly that if given the choice, he would rather drive a nail into his palm than have to carry the boy again.

Ozzie considered how to phrase his answer, the pains of thinking making his face distort into something even uglier than before, if that were at all possible. Finally he answered, "We're taking him with us because we don't have enough cash or materials to continue with our plans."

_Jeeze. He had to think _that_ hard to say something so simple?_

"I don't see how that has anything to do with taking such a foul creature home with us. It's not like he's the first human child we've come across before. We killed the rest on the spot, why is _this_ one any different?"

"Are you stupid!?" The fact that Ozzie was the one to accuse another being of stupidity was very ironic, and almost made the small boy laugh. However, wanting to hear the rest of this conversation, he quickly stifled the urge. "Just look at the way he's dressed! Look at how clean he is! He obviously isn't poor. If we take him back with us and send a ransom note out to his parents, we might be able to get enough funds to finally take this kingdom for our own!" 

_Hmph! Good luck finding my parents. I somehow doubt that Mother is anywhere you or anyone else here can get to her._ Somehow, this thought nearly made him cry. He didn't miss his mother, really, but he did miss his home, and he especially missed Schala. He was only a child, after all, and even the most arrogant child needs to have a home where someone loved them. He reminded himself of what he thought about those that cried, and was easily able to stop the tears.

"That, and…" Ozzie lowered his voice as he said this, glancing around so as to be sure non of the others were listening. "I would like to know how he managed to just appear out of thin air. That's not something _normal_ humans do, you know. And have you ever seen anyone, Mystic or human, with eyes as blue as that? He has pointed ears too, and I don't recall ever seeing any humans with pointed ears before; or blue hair, for that matter." 

"Alright, I see your point. But… We aren't _really_ going to give him back, are we? I mean, we can still kill him, right? After he's fulfilled his purpose?"

"Of course! You think I would let a filthy human into my home, and let it live to tell the tale?" Ozzie laughed at this, and his fat rippled almost hypnotically. His laughing came to an abrupt stop, however. It seemed as though he had just thought of something. "Bring the brat here!"

At his command, one of Ozzie's underlings grabbed the small child by his blue hair, and literally dragged him over to where the quivering blob of lard sat. They removed the gag they had put in prince's mouth once there.

As much as the seven year old boy wanted to start spewing out choice words that he had learned from his mother, he remained silent, and just glared at Ozzie in a way that they would both become very accustomed to in the years to come.

"What's your name, boy?" Ozzie began. 

"Why would I tell you?" The child began tentatively. _Why am I so scared? I _always_ talk back to those who are under me, and this guy is definitely under me. His breath smells like he just took a long drink out of an un-flushed toilet._

Ozzie didn't show any sign of being daunted by the child's outspokenness. In fact, he just grinned in a way that made the young boy shiver. "You should tell me, because _I'm_ the one who decides whether that Hench runs you through with a sword. Now, tell Ozzie your name."

"… Janus." Though he really didn't want to satisfy this blimp by giving in, Janus also didn't like the idea of dying.

"Janus? Hmmm… I must admit, I could have sworn you were a little boy…"

That made the Prince of Zeal _very_ angry. " I AM a boy, you cow! And I suggest you show me some respect! I am above you! I am royalty!"

Perhaps the older, wiser Janus would have known better than to tell his captors his rank in society, but, being only seven, it didn't even occur to him that by doing so he could be causing more trouble for himself.

"Royalty, you say? Ah, now that _is_ very interesting. However, if you are a boy, then why do you have a girl's name? Oh well, it doesn't really matter _what_ you are, just _who_ you are, and if your claims of being royalty are true, then you will be _very_ useful."

Food was being placed in front of the two as Ozzie spoke. It didn't look very edible, and Janus couldn't even say for sure what most of it was. His stomach once again gave a horrible lurch. 

"Now then," Ozzie began, though it was hard to tell just what he said because he was mercilessly ripping into the meat of some animal Janus had never seen. "You can't be from Guardia, unless the King and Queen have been able to hide you from the eyes of the public for quite a few years, and that isn't likely. So, tell me, 'your highness', over which kingdom does your family rule?" He didn't even bother swallowing what was already in his mouth before tearing off another enormous piece of the meat.

_This thing is utterly repulsive! _ The blue haired boy thought. _And what in the world is Guardia? I've never heard of it, and I wasn't even aware that there _were_ kingdoms other than Zeal. How far away from home _am_ I?_

After thinking this over for a few moments, he sat up as straight as the ropes around him would permit, and said in his most authority filled voice, "I am the future ruler of the kingdom of Zeal, the most powerful kingdom in the world! So I suggest you untie me and start showing some respect to your superior!"

Though at first he was sure that at the mention of Zeal the green blob would quickly adhere to his demands, his hopes were soon shattered as Ozzie began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Zeal? _ZEAL!?_" The fat on Ozzie's body was positively rolling with every shriek of laughter that erupted from his mouth, but for once, Janus didn't notice. He was too busy trying to figure out how anyone could have the nerve to laugh at the name of a kingdom that was feared by all who dwelled there.

"I fail to see what is so funny about the name of my kingdom," he growled.

Ozzie's laughter suddenly stopped, and he fixed the young prince with an icy stare. "There IS no kingdom called Zeal, boy! And to think that I was almost fooled into thinking that you were actually royalty. You shall be taught a lesson for being uncooperative, and lying to the King of the Mystics!"

_King!?_ _This THING is the ruler of something? But how!? He can barely handle a conversation with a seven year old child without having to think to the point where his face turns purple, and yet he makes decisions for an entire body of people!? It's just unbelievable!_ The poor boy was at a complete loss over this, and could just stare at this "king" with his mouth slightly agape. 

Ozzie took the boy's shock differently, however. "Hah! You didn't realize that you were talking to _true_ royalty, did you? Perhaps now you'll think twice before you try to fool me! You there!" Ozzie pointed at one of the Mystics sitting by a tree. "I'm through talking to this brat! Take him somewhere he won't bother me!"

Once again, Janus found himself being dragged by the hair. He was left alone about a hundred yards from where the Mystic camp site had been constructed, tied to a tree so that he couldn't roll away and get help. 

Every inch of his body hurt, he was terrified of being eaten by the green thing, he had no idea where he was, and he was alone. Though he tried his hardest, he just couldn't stop the tears from coming. He cried a long time, cursing himself for being weak.

"If I could only use magic, I wouldn't be in this mess. I could have fried the big green blimp and all of his cronies when they first laid their hands on me. If I could use my powers, I might have been able to get away from the stupid hole that brought me here, too. Why am I so weak? I hate myself!" He suddenly stopped crying. "No. I don't hate myself. I'm only here because of that thing Mother summoned. I know it had something to do with that hole that took me away. It's that thing I hate. I'll kill you! I swear I'll kill you! I'll have my revenge on you someday, Lavos!" 

With that thought in mind, Janus, the young prince of a kingdom that no longer existed, drifted off into a surprisingly peaceful slumber.

A/N: There you have it. Magus', or at this point, Janus' first call for revenge. So, what do you think? This was my first shot at dialogue, so any pointers would help. So, anyway, read and review and I might be nice enough to continue with this.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: Here's the second chapter, but I have a few questions before you begin. First of all, I'm not sure I have this story under the right genre's, so if you could help me out, I would appreciate it very much. Also, I'm not sure if I should raise the rating after this chapter. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, I don't know, but if you think I should, please tell me. PLEASE!!!! So, anyway, have fun reading.

Near dawn of that morning, Janus was brutally awakened by several powerful kicks in the ribs, each one followed by insults directed at either himself, or the human race in general. It wasn't until he looked up with the intent of telling them all off that they finally stopped. 

They didn't stop because he had awakened, however. The fact was that Janus wasn't entirely sure why they _had_ stopped. All he really knew was that when he looked at them, a look of shock and fear would appear on their faces.

Janus, being arrogant and self-centered even at that age, at first tried to attribute this reaction to the glare he had presented them, though he somehow felt that this wasn't really the case. As the day went on, he began to doubt this even more. The Mystics seemed to be averting his eye. When he looked at one, it would jump a little and a look of disconcertion would spread across it's face. He didn't even have to glare at them to make them uneasy.

They were also constantly pointing at and whispering about him. He knew that he was the subject matter, because he overheard bits and pieces of their conversations, which read along the lines of, "This one is no regular human. Sir Ozzie was wise to take him along." Even Ozzie seemed somewhat wary of the blue-haired boy. Somehow, he severely doubted that just one glare could make all of these people so afraid of him, especially when they had never even heard of Zeal.

Before entering the cave, Ozzie had given all of his followers a warning. "Be on your guard! The monsters in here are likely to be more hostile than usual since we're carrying a human with us." Ozzie glanced at Janus when he said this, but as soon as the child looked up and met his eye, the Mystic looked away, that look of trepidation on his face again. 

Just when a pair of Mystics began to gag the small boy and throw him onto their shoulders, Ozzie announced that he wanted him to walk, and to leave the gag out. "There's no point in gagging him. He'll be too busy trying to keep his footing to be able to talk. And let him walk. No need for us to go through any extra pains for the likes of _him_. Come on! Let's get this over with!" 

The cave was very dark, and the small prince had to strain his eyes to see the very ground he walked on. As it would turn out, Ozzie was right about him trying to stay on his feet. He fell down three times in the course of one hour, adding to the many scrapes and bruises he already had. He received no sympathy from those he traveled with. In fact, when he fell, they stepped on him. If he walked too slow, they kicked him. If he cried out in pain, they laughed at him. 

When he fell down a fourth time, he landed flat on his face, and his nose began to bleed. From what he could see of them through the darkness, the Mystics seemed very pleased and amused at the child's suffering. He wanted to kill them all, but he knew he could not in his present state, even if he could use magic. He was simply too weak, and was lucky to have strength enough to keep walking. 

When they had first entered the cave, everyone seemed cautious and alert. This was not because they were trying to keep themselves from tripping over the many rocks that jutted out from the cave's floor at every angle, however. It was obvious that these creatures had traversed the cave enough times to know where to walk safely, so falling was not much of an issue. The only other reason for their guardedness that Janus could think of was that they were listening to Ozzie's earlier advice and watching for monsters. As such, the first few hours of their venture into the cave were spent in silence, broken only by the distant sound of water dripping, the occasional cry of pain that escaped from the child, and the snickering of the Mystics that soon followed. 

Now they seemed to be letting their guard down. They had not yet been attacked by any monsters. Though this was unusual, none of the Mystics seemed too concerned about it. The most they would say of the matter was that they had good fortune. So, with their guard down, what was once silence was now enough noise to equal that of a small classroom. With the noise came more abuse for Janus. It seemed that their earlier skittishness toward him had subsided as well. It was as though their fear of him could only exist if they saw his face. The blue-haired prince soon had to begin looking out for more than just rocks on the ground, because many of the beasts started to purposefully trip him. Apparently, three or four face plants an hour were just not enough entertainment. 

It was while he was avoiding one of their attempts to bring him crashing to the ground that he cut his foot on a sharp, protruding rock. It was a bad cut, and caused him to fall to the ground more often than before. At first, the pain from the wound kept him from getting up. Every time he tried he fell back down. However, the Mystics didn't stop or even slow down for him, and because he was afraid of being left alone in a dark cave, injured, he forced himself to get to his feet and continue, despite the agony his foot was in. He left a trail of blood behind him as he walked on.

Not long after he caught up with the rest of the group, Janus began to feel uneasy. He could swear that he saw something moving in the shadows. He wasn't worried too much about it at first; he knew that there were supposed to be monsters in the cave, and supposed that the movement he saw was just a few of these alleged monsters. However, he couldn't keep telling himself this, because it seemed to be the same creature each time, and it was always the same distance behind.

"We're being followed," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Nonsense, boy!" Ozzie had heard him. "Nothing in this cave would follow us. Now quit your sniveling and hurry up!"

Janus did as he was told, but he could not ignore the movement in the shadows he saw, or the vulgar sound of something licking at the ground. 

What felt like days passed, but in reality it was only a few hours. The young prince was feeling a bit light headed from blood loss. The boy had been forced to walk in front of the group a while ago because the Mystics had become impatient with his frequent stopping and his insisting that something was following them. They also wanted to be close to him so that if he fell he could be quickly brought back to his feet with a good yank of the hair. It seemed as though even the joy of seeing a seven year old human child fall down and hurt itself could get old after awhile. Gradually, the cave's darkness began to lift. Every one seemed pleased that the end of the cavern was near. Smiles that did not come about from Janus' misery began to break out on everyone's faces. 

However, two events were soon to occur that would not only shatter the growing feeling of relief that came with the prospect of emerging out of the cave alive, and amazingly un-harassed, and renew the fear that all of the Mystics felt earlier that day at the mere sight of the boy.

As they continued through the now considerably brighter, but still dark, cave, Janus came to an abrupt stop. This caused many of the Mystics to crash into him and fall themselves. The young prince did not seem to notice that he had caused any trouble, and was not even fazed when the rest of the group ran into him. He seemed to have been turned to stone.

Just as the Mystics were about to vent their frustration out on the cause of their accident, the Prince of Zeal's blue hair and expensive clothes began to sway, as if moved by an unfelt wind. This wind affected none of the others, just Janus. The sight was eerie, especially when mixed with the unearthly stare which the child's eyes had been set to, and it caused the band of travelers to be immediately silent. 

_Oh no,_ he thought. _Not this. I don't have the strength to deal with this. Please no. I hate this. Oh, God, _please_ not now…_

His prayers were in vain. As the Mystics looked on, transfixed by the image they saw before them, Janus' eyes turned from the color they were just a moment ago, to an emerald green not of this world. Then, as if the color change had not been enough, his eyes began to glow ever so slightly. 

He suddenly turned his gaze upon the crowd of Mystics that had stopped to witness the strange event. The sudden movement made every last one of them jump. 

"The black wind howls. The reaper waits for you all…" This was the only thing the boy said, and he said it in a voice that did not seem possible for anyone, especially a child, to speak in. It was filled with death itself, and chilled the very bone. 

The group of Mystics were scared. Never before had they seen a child, a _human_ child, no less, behave or speak like this. They continued to stare at the boy as his eyes went back the color they had been before the incident and the strange wind around him died down.

Janus had been right when he said that he did not have the energy to withstand his prediction. After his appearance had gone back to the way it was just moments ago, he collapsed. He didn't faint or die, he just didn't have it in him to stand a moment longer. The blood that still dripped from his ankle began making a small puddle on the ground.

However, distracted as they were by the young prince's behavior, none of them realized the dark shape that was creeping toward them out of the shadows. 

A ferocious roar was heard, and the sound of bones crunching came soon after. The entire group turned toward the roar and the foreboding sound that had followed it. What they saw was pure carnage. 

A monster loomed where one of the Mystics once stood. None of the travelers had ever seen the likes of it in all their time of passing through that cave. It's huge frame took up the entire passageway. The blood of it's most recent victim was dripping from it's long, sharp teeth, and bits and pieces of that victim could be seen either dangling out of the beast's mouth, or scattered about around it's feet. It began to move toward the rest of the party, a carnivorous glint in it's eye.

It bore down on another of the Mystics. The rest of the group tried to kill it in order to save their doomed comrade, but their attacks left only small cuts on the monster's skin, and it did not seem to even notice.

"OH, SH-" was all that the unfortunate Mystic could say before the creature ripped him in two. 

Knowing that they could do nothing to harm the creature, they all attempted to run. This seemed to only intrigue the beast more, for it chased after whatever moved and quickly devoured it's prey. Soon, all of the party except Janus and Ozzie laid torn in pieces at it's feet. 

It sniffed the path that the blue-haired boy had taken before he had collapsed, and began to lick at it. After thinking for awhile, Janus realized what it was that had caused the creature to follow and attack the group.

_My blood! It followed my blood! It probably found the puddle that had formed when I first hurt myself, and after tasting it the beast wanted more!_

After sniffing around some more, the monster had found the boy, and was coming toward him. Janus still didn't have the strength to move, and could only watch in terror as it came closer.

__

Just when the beast seemed ready to attack, it was suddenly thrown against the wall by a powerful force. Ozzie had cast a very strong spell, and the effects of it had left a gaping hole in the creature's shoulder.

The beast still lived, however. It was back on it's feet after a few moments, but now it's target was the one who had interrupted it's hunting. Ozzie was ready for it. By the time it had gotten close to Ozzie once more, it was sent flying yet again by another magic attack.

_Oh. So this is why he is their leader. He is very skilled with magic, and they probably fear him. Of course, I've seen better, but chances are _they_ haven't. He is slow, though. It takes him until the beast is practically on top of him before the fat thug is able to attack again._

The monster finally fell after the fifth magic spell Ozzie had cast. He was panting, and seemed about ready to pass out. It seemed that even a magic fight was enough to nearly give him a heart attack.

Ozzie turned on the small child unexpectedly. "How did you know?" He said in a voice that was barely audible, and filled with a mixture of anger and awe. Janus didn't answer, but instead just stared at the fat, green king. "HOW DID YOU KNOW!?" This time he practically screamed the question.

"I-I don't know," he stammered.

"What do you mean you don't know!? You predict that this entire group is going to die, and you don't even know how you did it!?"

"It's something that I've been able to do my whole life. I can't control it. It just… happens." Janus was actually terrified of Ozzie at that moment. He was obviously angry, and the anger seemed to far outweigh the awe in his tone.

Ozzie cast a glance toward the prince's ankle, which was still dripping with blood. Realization dawned on his face, and his anger seemed to grow. "This was _your_ fault. It followed _you. _If you weren't such a clumsy brat, this wouldn't have happened. Some of my best soldiers are dead because of you, and I will make you pay for it!"

Janus' short temper quickly reached it's end. He did not like being blamed for anything, even for things he knew _were_ his fault, and being blamed for things he knew _weren't _his fault made him _very _angry. "It was not MY fault! If your stupid followers hadn't been picking on me, I wouldn't have cut my foot to begin with! And if YOU would have stopped long enough for me to be able to wrap the wound, I wouldn't have left a trail! For that matter, if YOU had just left me in the mountains where you found me, none of this would have happened! It serves you all right! As far as I'm concerned, they all got what they deserved… and you will get yours soon enough." He said the last part of this speech with a sound of pleasure in his tone, and this caused Ozzie to fear the child more than he had at any point earlier that day.

He quickly cleared his mind of the feeling, thinking it stupid to fear a child. The look of disconcertion that had momentarily flitted across his face was soon replaced by one of malevolence. 

"Well, I suppose they weren't _that_ important. If they had been, I would have stepped in after the second one was killed. No. _You_ were the most important one here; other than myself, of course. I had to protect _you_. You seem to be different than other humans. You possess power. It doesn't look as though you have _magic_ power, but you are still capable of things that others aren't. You could prove to be valuable beyond money purposes. Besides," he added, that evil look spreading across his entire face, "If anyone will have the pleasure of destroying you, it will be _me_, not some mindless monster who can't _enjoy_ the kill." 

He laughed as he said this, and Janus knew that unless he proved to be as useful as Ozzie thought he could be, he would be dead before long. 

Finally, Ozzie regained his composure, and once again pulled the boy to his feet using his blue hair. "Get going! We're not far from the end of this cave, and if you slow down at all, I'll drag you along by your hair!"

"Ooooo… how original…" The young prince couldn't keep himself from saying this, and was rewarded with a blow to the head.

"Talk back again to me, boy, and I'll cut out your tongue! Now move!"

They traveled the rest of the way in silence, and when they finally emerged from the cave, the day was well into the afternoon.

"That took longer than it should have, even with _you_ along." Ozzie had not been too pleased with Janus' speed. He never actually did resort to pulling the child along by the hair, but he still constantly yelled at him to walk faster, and would then either kick, hit, or push him. "We still have about a half hour walk ahead of us, and I want to hear _nothing_ out of you on the way!" He then floated past the Prince of Zeal, hitting him so hard in the back of the head as he passed by that Janus was sent reeling to the ground.

_Oh yes, "Sir" Ozzie. You will get yours soon enough. _And getting back to his feet, the blue-haired boy followed the fat king, a fiendish smile spreading across his face.

A/N: Okay, so this chapter really didn't have much of a point except to make you feel bad for Janus. However, it did cause Janus to declare revenge on a second person, so this chapter actually did accomplish _something._ I promise that I'll explain why all of the Mystics were afraid of Janus when he woke up that morning in the next chapter, I just wanted to make you all ponder for a while. *Evil smile* So, anyway, read and review and, if you feel like it, answer the questions I had at the beginning of my story. Thanks for reading!!!! 


	3. Chapter 3

Note: Sorry this one took longer than usual. School is evil…tests are everywhere! I can't turn around without coming face to face with one, and it's scary….Shudders So, sorry again and I hope you enjoy Chapter 3!!

Janus made sure to keep at a distance from Ozzie for the rest of their journey. He had been through enough abuse for one day, and did not want to make himself an easy target for more. Ozzie still threw insults at the small child, but at least he couldn't constantly beat on the boy as long as the young prince stayed a reasonable distance away.

After emerging from the cave, Janus felt dirty. Upon inspecting himself, the blue haired boy discovered that he did not look much like a prince anymore. His hair was matted together in big clumps of blood and dirt. His clothes were tattered and covered with an equal amount of dirt and blood. He could feel the dried blood from his nose on his face, and could also feel that about half of his face was swollen. His arms, legs and every other part of his body was cut or bruised, and his ankle was throbbing with the pain from it's injury. In fact, it was still bleeding, though not quite as badly, and Janus could already see the early signs of an infection.

_I look like one of the Earthbound Ones. The only difference is that _they _were not covered in blood. Ugh! This is so degrading, having to walk around in public looking as though I'm a beggar!_

After what seemed like an eternity, a large castle finally came into view. Janus realized with a heavy heart that there were even more Mystics here, and he knew that they would treat him no better than the group that he had traveled with. As the two came closer to the castle, the many Mystics surrounding it scrambled to line up and salute Ozzie. A few seemed surprised when they saw the small boy, but this was soon replaced by malevolent smiles and readying feet.

Knowing that they were going to try and kick him, Janus got as close to Ozzie as he could bear, hoping that the other Mystics would refrain from their attacks for fear of missing and hitting their king. The idea worked as far as avoiding the crowd's abuse, but the blue haired prince was distracted, and didn't see the rock that was directly in his path. For what seemed to be the hundredth time that day, Janus found himself face to face with the ground.

_Stupid rocks! I hate them and I'll destroy them all!_ Somehow comforted by this impossible vow of revenge, the young prince was able to get back on his feet, ignoring the roar of laughter that had erupted from the crowd at his misfortune.

After catching up with his captor, Janus noticed two forms approaching. One was a man with blue skin and a dangerous looking sword, the other was a very pretty woman with braided red hair.

"Sir Ozzie, it is good to see you have returned safely. But…where is the rest of the group?" It was the woman speaking, and the Prince of Zeal noticed that she had a voice that was almost masculine. He didn't dwell on that point long, however, because many of the women that served in his mother's court had had deeper voices than this one. She didn't seem to have noticed the small child standing in Ozzie's shadow; perhaps because Ozzie's fat could have blocked a rhino from sight.

"We ran into a bit of trouble. Nothing I couldn't handle, of course, but I must admit that I'm a bit disappointed in how well _they_ were able to handle it." Ozzie gave a small laugh at this, as if the thought of a small portion of his followers being ripped to shreds was a pleasant memory.

The woman's bra strap began to fall down, and as she lazily pushed back into place, the man with blue skin gave her a look of slight confusion and rolled his eyes. "Honestly Flea, why do you wear those? It's enough that you wear dresses, but do you _have_ to wear women's underwear too?"

At first, the young boy was a bit confused by this. _Why wouldn't she wear those things? Being a woman, I would think that she's _supposed_ to wear them._

"Well Slash, it's quite simple. If you wear a dress you have to wear a bra or else the dress might slip off for lack of support." She said this with a tone in her voice that most women get when they think that men are being stupid.

"But why do you wear those things!? They're for women, and you are a _man_!"

Up until this point, Janus had remained unnoticed by the two new arrivals. However, upon hearing that this woman was in fact not a woman at all, he couldn't stop himself from crying out, "_You're_ a _man_!?"

After finally noticing the boy, the pair's faces shared mutual looks of surprise. After a few moments, however, their faces conveyed two completely different feelings toward the small prince's presence. Slash looked about ready to explode with fury, and kept opening his mouth as if to say something, but would then close it again. His anger prevented him from speaking. Flea, on the other hand, looked almost pleased. Janus would actually have felt better if the effeminate man had been as angry as the blue man was. The blue haired child did not trust the smile that had appeared on the man's face at all, no matter how friendly it seemed.

Flea was the first to respond. "Why yes, child, I am a man, though few realize it unless I tell them so. Actually, now that I think of it, no one realizes it on their own, and they all react in much the same way you just did when I tell them. So, little one, do you have a name?"

Janus did not have a chance to answer, because Slash had finally calmed down enough to speak, though it was obvious that doing so required a lot of self-restraint, for he spoke through clenched teeth. "Sir Ozzie…May I speak to you for a moment? _Alone?_" He said this last part while looking between the human child and Flea.

The red haired man did not seem to care that he was being excluded from a meeting, and as the swordsman and his king passed them, he pursued their earlier topic. "Now then. I believe you were about to tell me your name, young man."

"I don't know why you care, but it's Janus." The young boy wanted to throw a few insults at the man standing before him, pretending to be his friend, but decided not to.

This guy doesn't seem to be mentally stable, and I'd rather not give him reason to kill me.

"Janus, you say… Hmph! And they say I'm weird for _dressing_ like a woman! You actually seem to have had a parent that actually wished you to _be_ a woman!"

_What is these people's obsession with my name? And what right does this guy have to make fun of _my _name? He's named after a parasite, for crying out loud!_

While Janus had been thinking of this, Flea had begun to walk over to where Ozzie and Slash were talking. The two were speaking loud enough for everyone in the area to hear, which defeated the purpose of Slash asking to be alone with Ozzie, and something they had said caught the older man's attention. The conversation he had been having with the young child had been forgotten.

"How could you do this to us, Ozzie!?" Slash was still upset, and seemed about ready to lose what little calm he had recovered earlier. "Why have you defiled our home with _filth_ such as him!?"

"That's _Sir_ Ozzie to you! And I brought him here because he could prove to be useful. He is not a _normal _human. I knew that when I first saw him. He has blue hair, though you can't tell right now, pointed ears, and his eyes were the deepest shade of blue I had ever seen! However, these things didn't interest me as much as the fact that he had _appeared out of thin air!_ I also noticed how clean and well dressed he was, and at first hoped to get ransom money from his parents. I had every intention of killing him after he told us where he lived. After all, he didn't need to be alive in order to send out the note. After the events of today, however, I decided to keep him around a while longer…though I still intend to kill him eventually."

"What do you mean , 'After the events of today'!? What could have possibly happened to make you show mercy to a human!?" Slash actually seemed to be even more enraged with Ozzie's explanation.

"Watch your tone with me, Slash!" Ozzie snapped at the blue swordsman, who actually jumped a little at his king's sudden anger toward him. The green Mystic seemed pleased with his success in scaring Slash, and continued. "As you may have noticed, there is one thing different about the boy as you see him now as compared to what I described when I first saw him, other than his hair. We first noticed the difference in the morning, and it worried us. We also noticed one other thing that bothered us. I won't bother explaining these things to you, since they should be obvious by just looking at him."

Janus was a bit disappointed when Ozzie didn't say exactly what was different enough about him to worry Ozzie and his cronies. He had been curious as to why the group of Mystics had been uneasy around him, and knowing that it had something to do with a change in his appearance only made his curiosity grow.

"The boy's changes were not the strangest things to happen today, either. A few hours after we entered the cave back there, he did something that scared the life out of the entire group, including me! While we were walking, he suddenly stopped. His clothes were blowing around as if it were windy, which it wasn't. Then his eyes turned green and started glowing. As if that weren't enough weirdness for one day, he then turned around and told the entire group that they were going to die because some 'black wind' was howling." Flea's eyes widened slightly when Ozzie mentioned the Black Wind. "That's why I brought him here. He obviously has some kind of power, and I want to use it if I can. I'm not too happy about having a human in my home either, Slash, and because of that I'll make sure he's miserable here."

"Sir Ozzie," Flea had finally decided to speak. "Have you thought about where you are going to keep him?"

"I'll put him with the servants." Ozzie felt that this conversation was over and tried to leave, but Flea would not let him, and again pursued the subject.

"That wouldn't work. After all, you'll need to keep him safe if you plan on using him later, so you can't put him with the rest of the Mystics that live here. They would kill him while he slept. So, might I suggest that he stays with me?"

Janus was more than a little surprised when he heard Flea actually _volunteer_ to have a human stay with him. He was a Mystic, after all, and the young prince had not been treated very kindly by any of the Mystics he met before. However, he was far form being pleased about it. He distrusted Flea greatly, and upon hearing him make this suggestion, his distrust could only grow.

Slash did not seem to trust his comrade's generosity either, for his eyes narrowed and his hand moved to the hilt of his sword. "Why would you suggest such a thing, Flea?" Suspicion shone clearly from his eyes, and his voice was practically dripping with it. "You have something to do with this, don't you? You probably struck a deal with the humans! He's a spy! And you made him appear in front of Sir Ozzie and possessed him to act strange, just to smuggle him in here, didn't you!? Traitor!"

With that, the swordsman unsheathed his sword and lunged at the red haired man in front of him. Before he moved even a few feet, however, he found himself on the ground, writhing in pain. Janus knew that Slash had been hit with a torture spell, and was somewhat shocked to see that the source was Flea.

_Oh great. Another magic user. I don't know which is more of a disgrace to magicians; the five-hundred pound booger or the cross-dresser. Although, I'm pretty sure this one is more dangerous. This one's mad…I'm sure of it now. You can see it in his eyes…_

Sure enough, Flea had a psychotic glint in his eye, and was laughing in a way that made the young prince's skin crawl. Gone was the seemingly pure feminine innocence of a few moments ago. Now the red haired man seemed to be the epitome of insanity. It was clear that the magician enjoyed seeing Slash in horrible pain, and seemed willing to keep the spell he had cast on his colleague going long enough to kill the blue swordsman. He most likely would have too, had Ozzie not intervened when Slash's struggling began to weaken.

"Flea," the green Mystic said sternly, "release him. _Now._"

The mad man turned on his leader, that look of insanity still on his face, and actually attempted to hit him with the same spell that had left Slash unconscious on the ground. Janus realized with the utmost fear that the spell would hit both himself and Ozzie due to how close he stood to the Mystic King.

He waited for the unspeakable pain that was sure to surge through his small body, eyes closed. It never came, however. Thinking that he must have been too weak to stand the attack long enough to actually feel the agony he expected, he opened his eyes, sure he that he was dead.

What he saw astounded him. Both he and Ozzie were quite alive, and they were encased in what appeared to be ice. Flea's spell was washing harmlessly over the shield, which seemed to infuriate the magician even more. He suddenly gave up his attempt to attack with magic, and instead decided to charge at the two who had opposed him, lashing out with nails that seemed impossibly long and sharp.

Janus was afraid. He had never seen anyone as crazy as this man, and despite the ice shield that had protected both him and Ozzie from magic, he couldn't help but fear that the Mystic lunging toward him would rip him to shreds with those inhuman claws.

His disdain must have been evident. "Use your head, boy! If Flea's magic couldn't break through my ice barrier, why would his nails be able to? In truth, nothing can." Ozzie seemed overly confident about his barrier, and the boy made a point of this, hoping to use it against the quivering mass of fat that stood next to him. After all, life in danger or not, he had had revenge on his mind almost constantly since the night before, and such information needed to be noted accordingly.

Flea was still striking at the barrier, though his attacks seemed not to affect it at all. He continued his feeble attempts even after his fingers had begun to bleed, leaving crimson streaks on the other side of the ice. Clearly, the insanity that had currently taken over the magician's mind did not allow Flea to realize that his attacks had ripped the nails off of his fingers.

At last, Ozzie decided to do something about Flea's rampage, and cast a spell that not only sent the red haired man flying into a tree, but also held him there. Flea howled like an animal as he struggled to break loose.

The ice barrier around Janus and Ozzie faded. The green Mystic went over to Slash's crumpled body, and, without so much as checking to see if the swordsman was alive, Ozzie grabbed the man's sword. He then approached Flea, who looked at his captor with a shear desire to kill.

When Ozzie reached for the magician's hair, he almost lost a few fingers. Flea had tried to bite him, and missed only by a hair, teeth snapping back together with a sound remarkably like the sound a rabid dog makes when it attempts to bite. Ozzie looked at first surprised, then angry, as he slapped Flea with all his might across the face.

Taking advantage of the magician's current state of shock at having been hit, Ozzie grabbed flea's long, red braid, and held Slash's sword to it threateningly.

"Now, Flea… Either you calm down, or I will cut it all off."

_Well that's stupid. Why threaten to cut off the guy's hair when it would make more sense to threaten to cut off his head? I mean… hair grows back, heads don't._

Though it didn't make sense to Janus, Ozzie's words seem to hit home. Flea stopped struggling and snarling, and his face lost most traces of insanity. The magician looked at his king weakly, and tears began to well up in his eyes.

"No! Please, no, Sir Ozzie! My hair is my pride! My life! Without it I would be destitute! Oh! _Please_ have mercy! I'll never do it again! You have my word!" At this point, Flea was sobbing uncontrollably, much to the confusion of the small prince that stood not too far away.

__

How could anyone_, especially a _man_ be so attached to hair!?_

Ozzie seemed content with Flea's promise, and released him. "Fine then. And as for your earlier suggestion, the boy may stay with you." Flea's sobbing stopped when Ozzie said this, and a devious smile spread across his lips. "However, there are two conditions that I want met before he goes with you. First, I want to know _why_ you suggested it."

Flea cast Janus a quick glace, and replied, "Certainly, Sir Ozzie. But," he continued in a low, almost inaudible tone, "I do not want _him_ to hear my reasons."

The two walked around to the other side of the castle. He couldn't hear a thing, despite how hard he tried.

When they finally returned, Ozzie was eyeing the prince unbelievingly, and Flea seemed pleased as he asked, "Well, Sir Ozzie, I have met your first condition. Now please do tell me your second so that I can take the child to his quarters. He looks absolutely exhausted!"

_Oh yeah. Like I'm going to buy the nice act. I saw your true colors, and now I know that I will _never_ trust you!_

"Alright, Flea. Since he will be staying with you, you will be one-hundred percent responsible for him. This means that not only will you be punished for the things he does wrong, but you are to keep him alive. I don't care if you treat him well, as long as he is alive. Personally, I'd prefer to see a new bruise everyday. Of course, to keep him alive, you will have to learn how to control that temper of yours. If I find him dead at yours or anyone else's hand, I will have your head, especially if what you've told me proves to be true. And as I've said before to the brat, if anyone is going to take his life, it will be _me_. Do you understand, Flea?"

"Of course, Sir Ozzie. Now if you'll excuse us…" Flea grabbed Janus by the arm and led him toward the castle.

Slash, who had actually regained consciousness a while ago, approached his king as the two walked away and said, still suspiciously, "What did that maniac tell you that made the kid's life so important?"

Ozzie, watching the blue haired child as he walked with the red haired magician, responded without taking his eyes off of the pair, "The boy is able to use the strongest form of magic ever heard of. Shadow magic."

=======================

Flea led Janus down a number of corridors for what seemed like ages. After a while, it became apparent that they were getting close to their destination. The walls were decorated in a very girly manner, with pink bows and pink curtains strung up everywhere. It was a somewhat uncomfortable setting for the young prince, and it made him feel sick. He hated pink, yet this guy didn't seem know that any other color existed.

Finally, they stopped in front of a door, and Flea said in an almost motherly tone, "This will be your room. There's a bath in there too, and, quite frankly, I suggest you use it. You look horrible. I'll be back in a bit with a change of clothes for you." With that, the magician turned and walked back the way they came.

Janus did as he was told, and took a bath. He knew he looked disgusting at that moment, and, being a prince, that was unacceptable. However, this was the first bath he had ever taken without someone to help. He was only seven after all. After fumbling around with the many soaps he found, he finally deemed himself clean and got out. He grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it clumsily around him. When he exited the bathroom, he found Flea sitting on what was to be the boy's bed.

"Here are your clothes, young Janus," the mage said as he handed the child his clothes. 'I had to borrow them from an Imp, but they should fit just fine." He paused, waiting for the young prince to change, then said, "Well? Why aren't you getting dressed?"

"Are you kidding!? I'm not getting dressed in front of you! That's just… _wrong!_"

Flea giggled slightly before responding. "Alright, child. I'll leave for five minutes, but then I have to have a word with you."

He left, as he said he would, and Janus hurried to get dressed before the man could return. The blue haired prince had barely finished dressing when the magician returned, meaning that he waited only about two minutes instead of five.

_Pervert._ He had learned this word from his mother, something that most kids his age would not have known.

Once again, Flea sat down on the bed, and this time he motioned for the child to join him. The boy instead chose to sit in a chair at the other side of the room.

Apparently not caring that his invitation had been denied, Flea began talking. "Now, Janus. As you heard, you are under my care. As such, you will do as I say. You will have to do as everyone else says too, of course, since you are a human. However, my word over rules all others, except maybe Sir Ozzie's. If you fail to adhere to my commands, you will be punished. Is that understood?"

The small boy could only nod in agreement, afraid that if he tried to say anything, the only words that would come out would set the older man off again. As he nodded, he somehow managed to brush his injured ankle against the leg of the nearby table, causing him to wince a little.

With a sigh, Flea got up and started to walk toward his "guest". Janus immediately tensed. He did not want this man anywhere near him.

Flea must have sensed this, because he stopped a few feet away from Janus, and said in a soothing voice, "Relax, child. I'm only giving you medicine for that ankle. We wouldn't want to have to cut it off, now would we?" He handed the boy a small container, and ordered him to drink. Though wary at first, the boy soon remembered that Flea was unable to harm him, so the stuff couldn't be poison. Comforted by the thought, Janus followed orders and swallowed the liquid inside.

"There, was that so hard?" Flea asked, smirking. "Now then, I'm sure you have questions. I will allow three for the night. After all, it's getting late, and I can't be up all night answering questions. I _do_ need my beauty sleep, you know. So, go ahead. Ask your questions. I know you have some."

Janus didn't even have to think about his first one. "Why do you dress like a woman?"

Flea was not at all offended by the child's bluntness. "Honestly, child, I would have thought you capable of a better question than _that_." He answered with a bored tone in his voice. "But, since you must know, it's quite simple. Beauty is power, and I've got the power. Next question."

More confused by Flea's answer than anything, the small boy took a while before asking his next question. "Why did you want me to stay with you? Tell me what you told that green blimp you call a king!"

Flea couldn't help but laughing. "My, my. Bold, aren't you? Insulting the king right in front of one of his generals! But don't worry. I truthfully agree with you on the subject of Ozzie's weight. Anyway, in answer to your question, I can't answer that just now. You just wouldn't understand. Plus, it's something that you should partially figure out on your own. Your last question, please."

The prince was a bit angered by the fact that both of his previous questions were not answered to his liking, but asked his next question without hesitation.

"What is it about me that changed enough to scare Ozzie and the rest of the group?"

Flea smiled at this. "I thought you'd never ask. Let me start my answer with a question. You are from Zeal, correct?"

Janus was shocked. "You mean you-"

He was silenced by Flea's slightly irritated response. "A simple yes or no will do. And before you ask, I don't know and I don't care how you got here. Now then, on with my explanation. I will make it short, since I can see that you're about to fall asleep on me." He added this last as the prince's head landed with a loud thud on the table he was leaning on.

"There is something called the Zealian Curse. Yes, I know it sounds silly, young one, but it's true. The basics of it is, that if an Enlightened One were to push all emotions but hatred, malice, sorrow and regret out of their hearts, a few key things would happen to them. I won't bother telling you what those things are, considering the fact that there is a mirror right behind you."

Janus slowly turned around. Upon looking at himself, he was stunned at what he saw. There were no horns or other such monstrous features on him, but his eyes, once a beautiful blue, had turned red. He could still see some of their former color, which comforted him a little. However, when he smiled, the small bit of relief he had felt quickly vanished. His canines were now fangs, such as you might find on a vampire. Though these things were all that he saw different on himself, he was still at a loss for words.

Flea came up behind him, and began to speak. "I have two more things to explain. First of all, you are not a vampire, so don't worry. Second, your eyes, as I'm sure you've noticed, still have a little of their natural color. This is because you have not lost some of the other emotions that I said lead to this transformation. However, if you continue to declare revenge on things, which I have no doubt that revenge is what led you to this state, you will lose your natural color almost entirely. They will not turn completely red until you have spilled the blood of an innocent in order to obtain your revenge. If that were to happen, red would be the only color your eyes would know, not even changing to that brilliant green when you feel the Black Wind. I have told you this, child, because we both know that it is your fate, and I thought you should know. That, and I didn't want you to have a heart attack when it happens. And, yes. With or without a mirror you will know when it happens. Have you ever heard the phrase 'The eyes are windows into the soul'? Well, your soul will also be stained red on that day, and it will quite possibly be lost forever in the tide of blood that follows."

Janus was nearly in tears. Of course he had _heard_ of the Zealian Curse, but he had never before seen it happen. He did not want to lose his soul. Without realizing what he was doing, he removed the pendant his sister had given him from his pocket, and held it tightly against his chest, right above his heart. He felt a little better, but the slight feeling of comfort was abruptly ripped from him, as was Schala's pendant, by Flea.

"Well, what do we have here? This is quite a nice necklace. Far too nice for a child. I will keep this, for now. You may have it back when you are older."

Flea had barely finished this sentence before the young prince flung himself at the magician.

"GIVE IT BACK!! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!! SCHALA GAVE IT TO _ME_, NOT YOU!! I WON'T LET YOU TAKE IT!!"

Janus was in tears as he screamed at the surprised man he was pummeling underneath him. He had managed to knock Flea down and land a few good hits before the mage was able to do something about it. The young prince had forgotten about this man's insanity issues, and soon found himself against the wall, held there by magic.

Flea approached the child. He had the same insane glint in his eye as he had earlier, but now it seemed more dangerous to the boy, despite the fact that Flea obviously had more control over himself this time. After all, the young prince was stuck on a wall, unable to move.

Once the mage stood in front of Janus, he paused for just a moment before slapping the child several times across the face. He did not soften the blows in the least, and soon the prince's nose began to bleed once more. After literally being slapped for nearly five minutes, the room began to sway in front of the boy. Flea finally stopped his relentless slapping, and lifted the boy's head up.

"Didn't I tell you that you would be punished? And there is one more step before your punishment is complete, but first I must make a point. Now then. As I was saying, I am going to keep this pendant until I deem you worthy of having it. That is my word, and you will not object again. Not even in words, and most certainly not in the way you did just now. " Flea slapped him two more times, as if to remind him that the punishment was not yet done. The red haired man must have seen something in the eyes of the child he had just beaten, for he smiled sardonically, and brought his lips to the child's ear.

"So, what number am I?" Flea whispered menacingly into the young Prince of Zeal's ear. That was the last thing the mage said to him, before blinding pain covered the boy's entire body, and the world turned black around him.

A/N: Alright. There you go. The third vow of revenge. Well, actually, the fourth if you count the rocks. I just couldn't help but put those in there. Sorry it was so long. I guess after sitting idle for too long, my muse decided to have a party. To be honest, the whole Flea being a nut job thing wasn't part of my original plan. Something just whispered in the back of my mind, "Make Flea psycho", so I did. After all, the voices in my head have never steered me wrong before! So, how did I do with it? I was going to cut this chapter off when Ozzie found out about Janus' magic capabilities, but then I remembered that I had promised to explain some stuff this time. I've decided that I will have Janus cast his first spell in either the next chapter or the one after. No guarantees, though. If inspiration hits again, who knows? Oh yes, and should I change the rating to PG-13? I seem to be getting kind of goryish. Anyway, I've babbled long enough. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

'…Janus…'

Mmmm…

_'Wake up, Janus…'_

What do you want?

'Open your eyes…'

Who are you?

'Wake up…'

Answer me!

'Janus…'

Wait…I know that voice! Where are you!?

'Wake up…'

No! Don't leave! Come back! I don't want to be alone…

'…Wake up…'

Wait! Don't leave me!

'…Wake up…'

The young prince sat bolt upright in the bed he was in, eyes wide and frantically searching the room for the person who had spoken to him. However, the sudden movement caused his battered body to scream with pain, and he fell back onto the pillow, unable to move.

Silver moonlight poured into the room, casting ghost like shadows on the walls. Looking around as best he could from his position on the bed, he tried to find the origin of that voice. It had sounded so close. So _real._ However, the room was empty with the exception of the shadows that danced on the walls, and he knew that he would not find what he was looking for even if he _was_ able to get up.

Not knowing what else he could do, he answered it's call with a name, spoken so softly it sounded more like wind passing through leaves, as a single tear rolled down his cheek and landed softly on the blankets.

"…Schala…"

He did not sleep again that night, but instead watched the moon make it's solitary journey across the sky toward the far off mountains. He did not seem to notice when the moon had gone and the sun had begun to take it's place, beginning it's own journey across the blue abyss above.

This is how Flea found him. Lost in a world that no one but Janus could belong to.

"Janus…" he said softly. The boy made no response.

"Janus," he repeated, louder this time. Still the blue-haired boy did not so much as acknowledge the older man's presence.

"JANUS!" Slowly, the child in the bed turned his head toward Flea. At first his pale face showed no emotion, but when he met Flea's eyes, hatred and anger suddenly flared up inside of him and he returned to his usual bratty self.

"What do _you_ want?"

"Nothing more than to see that you've awaken. You've been out for four days, you know. I'm sure that you are probably sore, so I brought you something to ease the pain."

Flea produced a small glass flask from somewhere within his expensive robes. It was filled with a pale green liquid that almost seemed to glow with a magical aura. The red haired mage held the bottle out to Janus, urging him to drink it. The small child turned his head away and stuck his nose up in the air with a short exclamation of "Hmph!", refusing to take it in the most arrogant, snobbish, and stubborn way he could.

"Now, now child. Is that anyway to treat some one who is trying to help you?" Still, Janus did not take what Flea offered. "Janus! You are not going to sit around all day just because you are in pain! Now drink it so that we can get on with more important matters!" Janus did not so much as move his head in Flea's direction, and instead continued to stare at the wall on the opposite end of the room. "Well, then, I guess I'll just have to make you…"

With that, Flea grabbed the boy by the hair and threw him into the chair he had sat in the first night he had been in the Mystic castle. Completely caught off guard, Janus could do very little to soften the impact, and once again felt blinding pain surge throughout his battered body. Flea approached the boy in the chair slowly, as though stalking his prey. When he was close enough, the red-haired mage grabbed the former prince by the throat and shoved the bottle in his mouth, both choking and drowning the boy at the same time. Without meaning to, Janus swallowed the contents of the bottle, sputtering and coughing when he finished. Flea, his task completed, threw the child to the ground.

When his coughing fit had subsided, he turned his attention back to Flea, directing all the hatred and anger he felt toward the man who stood above him, laughing as though it were all just a game and with that insane gleam in his eye once again. Between breaths, he managed to curse at the magician, but the older man found the insults even more amusing.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's quite a mouth you've got there, for some one so young. Will we have to wash it out with soap?" He laughed again before continuing. "However, now that you're awake and healed, I would like you to come with me. Today, you are to begin your work. Until you are older, you will have relatively easy tasks, such as serving us when you are called, straightening our quarters, doing our laundry and-"

"WHAT!? You expect me to serve YOU, as though I'm some lowly servant!? I will do no such thing! I am royalty, and deserve to be treated as such!" Still not fully recovered from the recent lack of air he had experienced, he had to take a deep breath before continuing. "I am not some sort of peasant! I serve no one! Especially not a foul, disgusting, lowly and _ugly _creature such as y-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off. A cold feeling began to spread throughout his body, and he was unable to finish what he was saying. He looked up to see a beam of pinkish light streaming forth from Flea's fingertips, aimed directly at him. As he watched, the glow began to turn red, growing in brightness and intensity until it was almost too much to look at.

All the while, his body temperature became colder. As the light became brighter and his body colder, he could see his breath in the air. He felt colder than he ever did in his life. Even when Schala took him to the Earthbound village he did not feel this cold. It hurt to breathe. Just when he thought he would surely freeze, the red light flashed brilliantly. When the room became visible again, the red light and the ice he felt coursing through his veins were gone.

He opened his mouth to demand an explanation as to what happened, but nothing came out. Shocked, he could only clamp a hand around his throat and look at Flea with eyes widened in surprise.

The older man approached Janus and said in a slow and dangerous tone, "My patience with you is wearing thin, child. I thought that I warned you to never again go against my word, and insulting my appearance is the worst offence. As punishment, I have taken your voice. If I ever decide to give it back, you are to _never_ call me that again. Do you understand!? Now get up."

When the blue-haired boy at Flea's feet once again disobeyed by crossing his arms over his chest, and looking away with his nose in the air, Flea decided to take matters into his own hands. He suddenly grabbed the boy's arm and began dragging him to the door. This would normally not have so much as fazed the young prince, but after a while the place where Flea was gripping his arm began to feel warm. A few minutes later, it was burning. The pain became unbearable, and he couldn't even scream. He began to thrash about, clawing desperately at Flea's hand, hoping that the older man would let go.

Finally, he decided to make use of his newly formed fangs, and bit Flea's hand. Immediately, blood streamed from where Janus' teeth were embedded into Flea's flesh, leaving a metallic taste in the boy's mouth. With a shriek, Flea released the small child's arm and held his hand protectively to his chest. The young prince, however, was looking at his own arm. The place where Flea's hand had been moments ago was beginning to blister, the skin obviously burned.

Flea looked up from his own injury, smirking as he saw the horrified look on Janus' face. "You see? If you would have cooperated then I wouldn't have had to do that, now would I? Now then, let's go and get you started, shall we? I'm sure Ozzie has a task for you by now. He's been waiting since you passed out."

Not wanting to endure anymore pain that day, Janus complied and followed Flea without fight throughout the many corridors of the castle. After quite a long time of walking, they finally came upon a very large and ornate door. Flea entered the room without so much as knocking.

On the far side of the room, Ozzie sat in an extravagant chair, wolfing down the food that was in front of him as though it would run away any second. When the door opened, he jumped in surprise. "What the- FLEA! How many times do I have to tell you not to enter my presence unless summoned!?"

With a low bow, Flea responded, "Forgive me, Sir Ozzie. I momentarily forgot my place. However, I came only to inform you that the child has awakened, and I have brought him to you so that you can make use of him."

At the mention of Janus, Ozzie's anger seemed to melt away, and a malevolent smile spread across his face. He got up from his chair, the effort of doing so causing a groan to escape from his lips. He slowly floated toward the pair near the entrance of the room, the malevolent smile still clear on his face. Once he reached them, he immediately noticed the burn on Janus' arm, and the dried blood near the corner of his mouth. He also noticed the blood dripping from two small holes on Flea's hand. The sight made him laugh.

"I see that you two have had a small disagreement. Well, Flea, I hope that you have put him in his place. The last thing I need to deal with today is a brat who doesn't respect his superiors!"

"No need to worry, Sir Ozzie. Though I am not sure how his overall behavior will be today, he will at least not be able to give you any lip. I put a silence spell on him for insulting me. I might also want to add," he turned his head toward the boy at his side, "that if he wants his voice back, he had better be respectful. If he is not, Sir Ozzie, I ask that you tell me. I will be sure to punish him later."

"Very well, Flea. You may leave."

With another low bow, Flea left the room, leaving Janus alone with Ozzie, who had turned back toward his vacant chair and the food that he had momentarily abandoned. As Janus watched Ozzie consume the food in front of him, the young boy realized with disdain that he had not eaten anything since the morning before he was taken away to this time. Though he had been unconscious for most of that time, the loud growl that his stomach gave told him all too clearly that it needed food if he was going to make it through the day.

Ozzie had heard his stomach, and noticed that the boy was a bit thin. With a sigh, he held out a plate for the child in front of him.

Janus, though starving, was skeptical. He did not take the food at first, and instead eyed it suspiciously.

"It's not poisoned, boy. I suggest you eat it. You won't get another chance to eat until tonight, and I doubt that you will last that long."

Though still unsure, Janus took the food that was offered.

_If it _is _poisoned, then at least I won't have to deal with these…people…anymore. Besides, I seem to be important to this one. I haven't the slightest idea _why_, but I guess I'll find out eventually._

With that thought in mind, Janus slowly brought the strange food to his lips, and begrudgingly took a small bite. Though the taste was far from pleasant, he quickly found himself wolfing down the other contents on the plate.

_Great. I probably look like a smaller, less ugly, and non-green version of the blimp next to me._

Sure enough, as Slash walked by the door that was left slightly ajar after Flea's departure, he saw what could almost pass as a mirror image of his king eating. Though a bit surprised at first, the swordsman quickly became angry when he realized that the _human_ was eating alone with Ozzie, which was considered a great honor in the Mystic society. Fuming, he quickly spun on his heel and left to go find Flea.

Janus had noticed Slash standing outside the door, and had seen the anger on his face.

_No. It wasn't just anger. There was something else…Jealousy? But why would he be jealous of me? I'm just a 'lowly' human, after all._

Deciding not to brood on the matter for too long, the child quickly returned his attention back to the food in front of him.

Not long after, Ozzie snatched the food away from him, smiling wickedly as he did so. "Well, I'm finished, and I think it is time that we start you off on your work. You can eat more later. After all, we can't have you getting fat. Fat people are useless."

_Perhaps Flea's stupid spell is coming in handy after all. If he hadn't cast it, I'm sure I would have laughed at _that_ statement. He just insulted himself, and he doesn't even realize it!_

Ozzie didn't notice how hard Janus was trying not to smile, and proceeded to assign the blue-haired child his first task as a slave. "I think the first thing I'll have you do is clean up this mess," he said, gesturing toward the empty plates and bare bones that were scattered all over the table and floor. "Throw the scraps out the window for the animals to deal with, then stack the plates on the table. When you're done, I'll call some one to show you the way to the kitchen so you can wash them. I want you to come back here when you are through so that I can start you on your next task."

Though not at all happy about it, Janus began to pick up the plates and scraps, every now and then recoiling in disgust as he touched some unidentifiable glob. Ozzie, of course, had to make things difficult, and would every now and then "accidentally" trip the boy, causing the plates he was carrying to topple out of his hands and back onto the floor.

As promised, when Janus was done stacking the plates, Ozzie called a servant to show the boy the way to the kitchen. When asked, the Mystic servant crinkled his nose in disgust, but said nothing.

On his way to the kitchen, Janus noticed the many sneers he was getting from the other denizens of the castle. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the blue-haired boy had to carry all of the dishes out of Ozzie's room without any help from his "guide", he could not see the feet that made their way into his path, and as a result tripped many, many times. Of course, this also led to many broken dishes, which, in turn, earned him a sound beating when he got to the kitchen.

When the dishes had been taken care of, Janus begrudgingly made his way back toward Ozzie's room.

_This really stinks. I can't even insult these people! All I can do is sit there and take their abuse. I obviously can't hurt them physically, I'm just not old enough to do that yet, but at least before I could _insult_ them. But, noooo… of course not. That had to be taken away along with everything else in my life._

At that point, he had made his way back to Ozzie's room, and, without really thinking, opened the door. Almost immediately, he was sent reeling to the ground by a strong blow to the back of his head.

"Insolent boy!" Ozzie was towering over him, anger clear on his face. "What makes you think that you have the right to enter my presence without so much as knocking!? Be sure that it never happens again, or I swear that Flea's 'punishment' from the other night will seem like a backrub compared to what I do to you!" After taking a deep breath, Ozzie continued. "Okay, boy. I have decided that assigning you tasks is servants work, so from now on, you will not report to me for your next assignment. In fact, you really won't report to anyone. Basically, I want you to wander throughout this castle, and if anyone asks you to do something, you are to do it, got that? Now, go. Just being around you makes me feel like less of a Mystic."

Pulling himself up off the floor, Janus gave Ozzie one last glare before exiting the room.

Janus' day only went downhill from there. Though obviously ordered by Ozzie not to _kill_ the boy, the Mystics were not in least bit dissuaded from making him as miserable as possible.

Within the first three hours after being dismissed from Ozzie's room, the Mystics had managed to trip him, hit him, kick him, and insult him more times than he could count. They also made it a point to send him on wild goose chases for things that did not exist.

Once, when he got fed up with one Mystic in particular who had sent him back and forth so many times the stone floor was wearing away, he "accidentally" dropped a vase he was carrying for another Mystic on it's head; an easy task to do when dealing with Imps.

Of course, the Imp didn't take kindly to his behavior, and neither did the Nagaette who owned the vase. He had soon found himself being bombarded by stones and scratched mercilessly. That was the last time he acted up that day.

Not long after, that same Imp had sent him on another wild goose chase. And so his first day of slavery went.

"THIS ISN'T RIGHT!" Slash exclaimed while pacing the floor in front of Flea. "He is a HUMAN! Why is he being treated as such!"

Flea, meanwhile, was enjoying his comrade's distressed state of mind. "What do you mean, Slash? I don't see him being treated in any special way," he said while digging into the puncture marks on his hand with a knife, causing the swordsman in front of him to cringe slightly.

"What do you mean! The fact that he is still _alive_ is special treatment! Now he's doing something that most Mystics only _dream_ about, though they would prefer if it wasn't Ozzie that could give them the honor."

"Well, _I_ haven't been treating him very well. I'm the one responsible for his four day black out, remember?" Flea added, still digging into his wounds.

"You're also the one responsible for Ozzie not killing the brat by now!" Though Slash didn't realize it, Flea was getting him riled up on purpose. "Why did you tell Ozzie that he could use shadow magic!? Why would you make something like that up!? You know as well as I do that Ozzie is dumb enough to believe it! And would you stop picking at those! That's disgusting!"

Of course, Flea didn't stop. Why should he if it was bugging Slash? "I didn't make it up, Slash. The child is very capable of using shadow ma-"

"Then why hasn't he used it to deal with us!? If he could use it, he would have blasted us into millions of little pieces by now!"

"He hasn't unlocked his powers yet. He will in time, though, and then he will be a valuable asset to us. Of course," he added, with a smirk, "it will be as though we're admitting to needing a human to help us, but that is a small price to pay for world domination, wouldn't you agree, Slash." Flea knew that would get to him.

"NO! I DON'T agree! I'd rather _die _than make it seem like I'm inferior to humans!"

"Maybe you are, Slash. I mean, you _are_ pretty pathetic. You don't even use magic when you fight. All you do is whip that metal stick around, which, by the way, was first invented by humans." Oh, how he loved making Slash mad. He could do this all day and long into the night.

"Look who's talking, Flea! You _look_ like a human! And don't you DARE insult my sword! I'm through talking to you! Go away!"

Flea couldn't help but giggle at Slash. He was so angry, he just made an idiot out of himself, and Flea loved it. "Why should _I_ be the one to leave when you're in _my_ room, Slash?"

With a cry of frustration, Slash teleported, leaving Flea to laugh at his companion's idiocy.

When night finally came and Janus was allowed to go back to his chambers, he was exhausted and felt disgusted with himself. Though none of the tasks he was made to do were especially hard, he had been raised as a prince, and therefore had never so much as picked up a sock. In fact, he usually had a servant pick _Alfador_ up for him, and that was his beloved cat!

However, about halfway to his room, he was greeted by one of the last people he wanted to deal with right then; Slash.

Upon seeing the boy, an evil grin spread across the swordsman's face.

"Well, if it isn't the human. Finally awake I see. How are you enjoying your stay so far?" His sickeningly sweet tone of voice quickly turned dangerous as he, without warning, pinned the young prince against the wall. "What is it about you that makes you so special? Why is it that you harbor the ability to use magic when there are no other humans on the face of this earth who can?"

Janus, obviously, said nothing. Slash, however, did not know about Flea's spell, and anger quickly boiled inside of him.

"I asked you a question, _human_, and I expect you to answer. You forget who your better is."

When Janus still did not answer, Slash quickly backhanded him. "I should _kill _you for your insolence, human!" However, he quickly noticed that Janus had mouthed "Ow", and was able to figure it out. " I see…So Flea put a silence spell on you, did he? Perfect," he said, while unsheathing his sword and placing the tip at the base of the boy's throat, "That means that no one will hear you scream…" At that he readied himself to thrust the sword into the child's throat. However, he was stopped by an all too familiar, rather feminine, voice.

"Slash! What in the name of the Magus are you doing!?"

Slash, quite startled, dropped Janus, cutting him slightly before he landed quite hard on the stone floor. The young boy wasn't sure if he was glad to see the red-haired man or not.

"Flea! I, uh, was just-"

"Save it, Slash! You were trying to get me in trouble by killing this child! Funny, though, how you found it disgusting that I would pick at my wounds, yet you were all too willing to plunge a sword into the neck of an innocent child!"

"That's different, Flea! You were hurting _yourself_! I was just thinning out the population of unwanted pests!"

"That's enough," Flea's voice had gotten dangerously low, and his insanity had begun to come forward again. "If this were some other child, I would allow it. However, _this_ child is in _my_ care, and _I_ will be the one killed if something happens to him. Get out of here, and don't let me _ever_ catch you trying to kill him again."

With a grunt, Slash left, not even bothering to teleport this time. His anger and frustration wouldn't have allowed enough concentration for him to do so.

When he was gone, Flea turned toward Janus, who was still on the floor. "Oh, poor child, he cut your face! Come on, let's get you cleaned up and into bed. I'm sure you've had a long day." With that, Flea led him back to his room.

After Janus had been cleaned up, Flea turned to him and said, in a very annoying, motherly tone of voice, "Now then, young one, I heard that you were overall very good today, with the exception of a few dishes and an incident with a vase. As a reward, I will give you your voice back."

When Flea had finished this sentence, a warm, pleasant sensation began to ripple throughout Janus' entire body. Ironically, the stream that came forth from Flea's fingertips was blue this time, and it only gave off a slight glow. It felt nice, and Janus couldn't help but sigh in delight. In fact, he was almost disappointed when Flea's spell was completed, and the warm feeling went away.

"There you are, young one. I hope that you use it wisely, because I will not hesitate to take it away again. Good night, child. I will see you tomorrow."

"Wait! I want to ask you something!" Janus liked having his voice back, and figured his question would give him an excuse to use it.

"Yes, dear Janus?"

Ignoring the fact that a man who had caused him a great deal of pain since he had arrived here had just called him "dear", Janus continued with his question. "Who is, 'the Magus'? You said his name when Slash was going to kill me, and usually people only say things like, 'What in the name of-' when the person who's name they use is important."

"Ah, child, the Magus has not yet been found, but he will be soon…" Flea's face and voice began to turn almost dreamy as he spoke. "The Magus is part of a legend that almost all Mystics live their lives by."

Janus, being a child, was most intrigued. To him, "legend" meant "story", and he hadn't heard a good one for quite a while. "Can you tell me the legend?"

"Well, I suppose it won't cause any harm. It goes like this:

"Mystics have been oppressed by humans for centuries, never seen as equals because we are so different. We are seen as animals; dirt. This mindset was created long ago. When exactly is not known; that information was lost in the tides of time.

"Though we have our magic, the humans outnumber us, and always have. If we were to try and fight, we would surely lose. So it would seem as though our situation is hopeless. However, there is one who could help us, and that is the Magus.

"It is said that he will come to us, and neither he nor others will know that it is him. He will live among us, his powers growing stronger each day. After many years of biding his time, he will finally arise and all will know who he truly is. He will overthrow the king that seems incapable of helping his people, and take his place. He will lead us in a war against the humans, and free us of them.

"His power will be unparalleled by humans and Mystics alike. Even the legendary sword, the Masamune, will fall to his great strength, along with the human hero that they believe will lead them to victory against us.

"After we have gained our freedom, the Magus will lead us into prosperity. Mystics will have what they always wanted, and the humans will be no more. That is the legend.

"So, you see child, the Magus is more or less a god to us, and we wait in earnest for him to come to us. We wish to be freed, and he is the only one who can do that for us."

"How do you know this guy will be a good leader? Just because he might win a war for you doesn't mean that he will 'lead you into prosperity'."

Flea seemed a bit upset at this question, and was quick to dismiss the matter. "That's enough questions for tonight, Janus. Good night. Like I said before, even _I_ need my beauty sleep."

With that, Flea left the room. Janus, on the other hand, was not yet ready to sleep.

_The Magus is more or less a god to them, eh. I bet that there is a way I could use that to my advantage. A mutual weakness…but I'd better be careful…use it the wrong way and they'll all kill me on the spot. Slash is obviously ready to do so already, all he needs is a reason to turn Flea and Ozzie against me. Well…I'll figure it out later…I'm tired. Besides,_ he paused while looking out toward the moon. _I might hear _her_ again tonight._

With that hopeful thought in mind, the former Prince of Zeal rested his head against the pillow and closed his eyes. Soon, he was in a relatively peaceful slumber.

A/N: Okay…MAJOR apology for not updating for so long. All I can say in my defense is that I'm sorry. PLEASE FORGIVE ME!! I hope I won't take so long with my next update, but I can't give any promises. I have summer reading assignments and 13 hour shifts at work to deal with (Seriously…I'm not kidding). That, and my muse is being a total butthead right now. Every time I sat down to write, she would decide to take a vacation!! I don't think this chapter is as good as the other's though (s_igh)_. Janus _will_ cast his first spell in the next chapter, though. Does that make anyone feel better?? I hope so… There's also going to be a time jump…I highly doubt that anyone wants to read about every single day of the kid's sadly abusive life…that would be a bit tedious for you _and_ me. And yes, I know…the legend is a bit…odd…but, it just somehow popped out!! I had in no way planned it. So, yeah…anyway…I hope you liked this chapter, and if not, I will try very hard to make the next one better!! And to update sooner!! Though, once again…I make no promises. Well…that's all I have to say for now…Remember, now, ANY reviews will do. Thank you all for any patience you have left with me after so long. Please review!!


	5. Chapter 5

It was a bright and cheerful afternoon. The sun was shining, birds were singing, the flowers were all in bloom, dancing merrily to the light breeze that brushed against them. It was the kind of afternoon that would see all children outside, happily playing with their friends and toys. All but one.

Janus had been living with the Mystics for three years now. In that course of time, the Mystics had become engaged in a war with the humans and their distaste in him had only grown. He was, of course, still their slave, and after about a year and a half of repeated "discipline sessions", as Flea would call them, he lost much of his prior arrogance and would not put up as much of a fight when told to do something, though he would still act like the spoiled prince he was toward Slash. At the moment, he was knelt by the river bed, trying desperately to remove the unidentifiable stains from Ozzie's clothes, which were to be worn that night to celebrate a victory on the battlefield, which was proving to be an even more daunting task than usual.

Not only did he have Ozzie's usual filth to deal with, but there were strange marks appearing on the garments that he could swear were not previously there. These marks looked like burns, some going straight through the fabric, creating a hole the size of his fingertips. However, Ozzie never went near anything hot enough to create such marks, and they seemed to appear only after Janus touched something.

_This is just great._ _Now they're going to make me sew, too._

Flinging the offending garment to the ground in frustration, Janus fell back onto the grass, closing his eyes and relaxing in the warm sunlight, a luxury in which he seldom took part in. However, just as he was about to drift off, he was suddenly flipped over onto to his stomach, courtesy of a rather harsh kick delivered to his side.

"Git up, human. Sir Slash is asking fer 'is tea, an' he wants you ta bring it to 'im."

Rolling over to lie on his back again, while clutching his side, Janus looked up to find the castle's cook towering over him, a look of sheer distaste plastered onto his face.

"Hurry up now. Or should Ah tell Sir Flea tha' you were sleepin' without permission?"

Not really in the mood to walk around with a black eye for the next few days, Janus shakily made his way to his feet, still trying to regain his composure after having the wind knocked out of him earlier.

"It's about time, human. Ah still don' see why Sir Flea an' Sir Ozzie keep ya. Yer lazy, slow, an' ya stink like th' filthy human ya are! Ya should 'ave been killed on the spot, Ah say. Well, it's not mah place ta be questionin' them. Go on, then. Ya know where the tea's at. Ah've got ta git back ta makin' the victory celebration meal."

With that, the cook turned and walked away, leaving Janus to go about his work on his own.

Upon entering the kitchen, Janus found complete and total chaos. Everyone was rushing around, things were knocked over, and the cook, having arrived there only a few minutes prior to Janus, was enraged at the state of his kitchen.

"Look et this place! Ah leave ya alone fer five minutes an' this is wha' 'appens?"

Janus, knowing full well that if the cook spotted him his anger would be turned in his direction, hastily walked toward the cabinet in which the tea was kept, being careful to avoid the kitchen attendants, as well as the cook, on his way.

Though he managed not to be seen on for awhile, it was not long before he felt someone gently nudge his shoulder. Turning to see who it was, Janus saw Elbram, a young gargoyle

"Hey Janus. What took you?"

Out of the entire Mystic race, Elbram was the only one who Janus even halfway considered a friend. For some reason, he didn't treat Janus like dirt unless he was being watched, and even then he would always apologize for anything he did. Giving him a weak smile, Janus waved slightly, and then turned back to the tea kettle.

"What? You're not mad about earlier, are you? I really am sorry, Janus. I just couldn't let the others know I was being nice to you. I didn't mean to kick you that hard…I just don't know my own strength." Turning back to Elbram, Janus shook his head. Elbram thought for awhile before something seemed to hit him.

"Ohhhhh…I get it…Flea still hasn't taken off that silence spell, has he." Once again, Janus shook his head. "Jeeze! It's been four days! I'll bet he forgot. Well, when you get your voice back, you'll have to tell me what you said. It must have been good. But…in the meantime," he began, looking at something behind Janus, "you might want to clean up the mess your tea kettle's making."

Whipping around, Janus saw that the water had started to boil over, threatening to extinguish the fire and beginning soak the floor. Quickly removing the kettle and throwing a nearby rag onto the ground to soak up the water, Janus poured the water into the cup he had prepared for the tea.

"I hope that cup isn't too hot to carry. Judging by the grumbling I heard on my way down here, Slash isn't going to wait for it to cool off. Well, I'll let you get back to work, Janus. Bye!" Smiling at Elbram's retreating back, Janus picked up the cup and began to walk toward Slash's chambers, not noticing the small amount of frost that formed around his fingers.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"It's about time, human," Slash growled as Janus slid into his room. Janus hated being in Slash's quarters. Not only was Slash able to do most anything he wanted to do to him while in his room without worrying about interference, but there were so many swords hung on the walls Janus was sure he would be impaled one day during an earthquake.

"Well hurry up! I don't have all day!"

"Calm down, Slash! The poor child is going as fast as he can without making all of your little toys fall down on top of him!"

_Great…Flea's here, too. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. _

"Hmpf…it's not like it would be a loss," Slash retorted, snatching the cup from Janus' hands. However, after taking one small sip, the cup, and all it's contents, were promptly thrown into Janus' face.

"This tea is cold, human! Your impudence is really starting to get to me!" Slash put his hand on the hilt of a nearby sword, clearly ready to strike him down, but after receiving a cold glare from Flea, he backed off.

Janus, meanwhile, was staring at the overturned cup by his feet completely dumbstruck.

_How could that have been cold? I heated it up so much he should have thrown it back at me for it being too hot…_

Turning to Janus, Flea spoke, "Well, child, I hope that you have finished washing Sir Ozzie's robes. He'll be needing them soon." Seeing Janus bite his lip, Flea sighed. "Janus, you knew that those had to be done, and they should have been a long time ago. You will be punished later. You are dismissed."

Just as Janus was about to leave the room, he heard Slash call out.

"Hold it, human. Bring-"

"Honestly Slash…couldn't you call him by his name?"

"Will you shut up!?"

"It's just a name. It wont kill you to say it. Janus. See? I'm fine. Come on now. Repeat after me. Janus."

"Ja- No! I will not say that _thing's_ name! Now shut up and let me finish! Human-" at this, Flea snorted, causing Slash to continue through gritted teeth, "-bring me my Tachi sword. I need to go let off some steam." Seeing Janus eying the walls with the utmost confusion, Slash said, still through gritted teeth and now with a twitching eye added in, "The black and gold one to your right that looks like an 'S'."

Finally spotting what he hoped was the Tachi sword, Janus lifted it off the wall, only to drop the end of it on the ground, partially due to its weight and length, but mainly just to anger Slash, which, judging by the sound of ripping fabric, was working. After literally dragging the sword across the room, Janus finally got it to Slash.

"Give me that!" he said, reaching out to snatch it away from Janus before any more harm could be done to it. However, the moment Slash touched the sword, he felt a small jolt of electricity surge through both it and him. Crying out, he dropped the sword himself this time, allowing it to clatter against the cold stone floor.

"Something wrong, Slash?" Flea questioned, a small but knowing smile painted on his effeminate features.

Looking to Flea, Slash straightened himself out before stooping to pick up his neglected sword, testing it with a few light taps before fully grabbing it.

"It was nothing. It just…shocked me. That's all." Standing up straight and turning to Janus, who was just as perplexed by what had happened as he was, Slash commanded, "There's nothing more for you to do, human. Get out."

"Actually", Flea started, still smiling, but with a bit of mischievousness mixed in, "I almost forgot to tell you Janus. You are to sit by me at tonight's celebration."

"WHAT!?" Slash, as Flea expected, was outraged. "Why would _it_ be allowed to sit at _our_ table!? Or even be allowed to be part of the celebration!?"

"Oh, please, Slash. He's a _boy,_ not an it. You used to call him by the proper gender. There's no reason for you to have stopped."

"That's beside the point!"

"I don't see why it would matter. He's been doing such a good job lately I feel he deserves a reward."

"It doesn't belong there!"

"And why not? Sir Ozzie said that all Mystics, including servants, are invited."

"He's not a Mystic! Janus is a _human!"_

Though this was indeed a good point to any other Mystic, it was completely lost on Flea as he gasped and stood up, hugging Slash and exclaiming, "Oh! I'm so proud of you Slash! You not only called him by the proper gender but you said his name, too! Maybe there is hope for you after all!"

Slash, meanwhile, was horrified.

"Get off of me! Flea! Let go! I mean it!" he cried, trying desperately to free himself. Finally, Flea let go, sending Slash reeling backwards to land on his backside. Scrambling to stand up and regain whatever shreds of dignity remained to him, Slash dusted himself off, grabbed his sword, which had been once again dropped during his struggle with Flea, and backed away slowly to the door, eying Flea warily.

"Fine. Do what you want. Just keep that _thing_ under control!" With that, he turned and ran from the room, knocking Janus, who had been watching the entire exchange with a strange mixture of amusement and disturbance, to the floor.

Giggling, Flea walked over to the door, motioning for Janus to follow.

"Come now. We need to get you ready for tonight! Oh…and I suppose it _is_ time for me to take that silence spell off, isn't it?"

With a wave of his hand, Flea sent the blue stream toward Janus, filling him with that warm sensation once again.

"It's about time!" he said before he could stop himself. His voice was scratchy from disuse, and it almost hurt to talk, but it came out anyway.

"Tut tut, child! You don't want me to have to take it away again, do you? Now then, come on! We really must get you ready!"

Fearing that Flea would try to make him wear a dress, as he had done on several occasions before, Janus dejectedly followed the older man.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Four hours and many outfits later, Janus was sitting at a large table between a very grumpy, and still a little shaken, Slash, and a rather ecstatic Flea, who had put on even more make-up than usual. It had been decided that it would be best if he sat between the two generals as a way of protection. The other Mystics had not been pleased when they discovered that the human would be dining with them.

"Come now, Janus. Eat! You've barely even touched your meal! I would really think you would be more hungry. You didn't get breakfast this morning!"

"I'm not hungry," he grumpily replied, though he was in fact lying. He was indeed very hungry, but he didn't trust the food he was served since the cook was still mad at him for having to go get him earlier.

"Honestly, Janus. You're too suspicious! No one here is going to poison you. No one has the guts to stand up to me if they kill you," Flea replied, taking a dainty bite of his food.

Janus, however, was not convinced, and grumbled, "It wouldn't have to kill me. It could just make me miserable and sick for the next few days. Since I know that you'll make me work even if I can barely stand up, I'd rather not take the chance."

"Janus-"

"Just forget it, Flea! If the human wants to starve itself, let it! Don't waste your time on-OW! That was my leg you brat! Oh…I'm gonna-"

"Slash…" Flea said warningly.

"It kicked me!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at Janus in an attempt to defend himself. "It's been kicking me all night!"

"Have not!" Janus retorted, rising to his own defense.

"Yes you have! I've got the bruises to prove it, you little-"

"Stop it! Both of you!" Flea cut in harshly. "I would expect this kind of behavior from the Mystic children but not from a human who should know his place and especially not from a full grown general! Now knock it off and behave yourselves!"

For a time, Flea's lecture kept things calm. Slash resumed eating, grumbling something about a bossy cross-dresser and a filthy human, and Janus went back to making mush out of his food. However, such peace could only last so long as a thump was heard from under the table.

"ARG! That's IT!" Slash cried, slamming his fists onto the table and abruptly standing as the room fell silent and all eyes looked in his direction. "I've had it!"

"Slash, calm down…" Flea pleaded, looking across the room at Ozzie, who was obviously displeased at this outburst.

"No! I will _not_ calm down! You let this little brat get away with too much! You claimed that he could use Shadow Magic-"

"Slash! Be quiet!" Flea insisted. None of the other Mystics were to know about Janus' abilities until he was able to use them, and the sudden murmuring around the room was not a good sign.

"-but he can't! If his abilities were going to awaken, they would have done so by now. He's been with us three years. Three years! Not _once _have I noticed him show _any_ sign of having the ability to use magic!"

"Well, actually, Slash-"

"Can it, Flea! I'm sick of you telling me what to do and I'm sick of dealing with this brat!" Picking Janus up by the collar he threw him against the wall, where he slid to the floor in a huddled heap. "Well I'm not going to take it anymore! This ends here!"

Drawing out his sword, Slash walked over to where Janus was hunched against the wall. He didn't hesitate for a moment when the child's eyes, filled with hate, flashed red. He was determined to finish Janus off, no matter what.

However, Slash never got the chance. Just when he was about to bring his sword down and end Janus' life, he was sent flying backward, sliding across the table and knocking everything off. When he landed, unconscious, the Mystics were too stunned to so much as put out the fire that remained on his clothes.

All they could do, was look back at the stunned human child, whose hands were still smoking.

A/N: Here's my Christmas present to all of you!! An update on a story I'm sure you all thought I abandoned!! YAY!! I'm so very sorry that I haven't updated this in so long. I honestly haven't given up on it and I don't ever plan to. I just haven't really been in a let's-beat-up-a-little-kid kinda mood. And I think that this chapter was _much _better than the last one. I had fun with this one, if ya couldn't tell. Especially with making Slash and Janus argue, and with the cook's accent. I honestly don't know why I gave him one. It just seemed fitting. I'll try to update "It Takes Two to Tango" soon, I just felt bad for this one, so I updated it first.Well, anyway, here you go. I hope no one's too mad at me. So…read, review, and happy Chrismahanakwanzika to all!!


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